Cigar-vending machine.



BEST AVAILABLE COP 110.791.224 v PATENTED MAY 30,1905. L. 0. SPOONER.CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1904.

l I l Inventor: (Q fiy By Witnesses:

N I N N Ml) MM 2 l Attorneys,

BEST AVAILABLE COP UNITED STATES Patented May 30, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEE 0. SPOONER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE PETERMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPO- RATION OFMISSOURI.

CIGAR-VENDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,224, dated May 30,1905.

' Application filed ly 18, 1904. Serial No. 217,051-

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE 0. SPOONER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Cigar-Vendin Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to vending-machines, and especially to machines forvending cigars.

It has for its principal object to provide means to prevent the cigarsturning about a transverse axis as they move down to the delivery-slotof the machine.

My invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements andcombinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andwherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1is a lon itudinal sectional view through the improve delivery mechanismof a vending-machine. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the delivery mechanism,and Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the brushes.

In vending cigars it is necessary to deliver the cigars from the box,and thus the cigars in the rear end of the box are compelled to roll aconsiderable distance to reach the delivery-slot. In the course of thismovement cigars will occasionally turn about a transverse axis. Thuswhen they arrive at the delivery-slot they lie at an angle thereto instead of parallel therewith, as they should in order to be ejectedwithout injury.

It is the principal object of my invention to overcome this diflicultyand insure that the cigars shall be parallel with the direction of thedelivery-slot.

The invention is capable of being applied to any cigar-vending machineand is not limited in use to the particular mechanism with which it isshown in the accompanying drawings by way of illustration.

The delivery mechanism has a frame con sisting of side plates 1 2,connected by rods 3 I 4 5 6 and a plate 7. This frame is secured in thecase 8 of the machine, a fragment of which is shown. Within the frame isreciprocatingly mounted a delivery-slide consistin of a plate 9, anoscillating plate 10, and a de ivery-slot-closing member 11. Normallythe latter lies in the slot in the front of the case through which thecigars are ejected by the delivery-slide. Guides 12 13 are mounted onthe rods 3 4 and are provided with shoulders against which a cigar-box14 may rest. The cigar-box 14, having one end parallel with the lengthof the cigars removed, is placed u on the rods 4 5, which are in thesame inc ined lane as the rod 3. The ci ars can then roll (ibwn towardthe delivery-side and the delivery-slot.

The rod 6 is arranged in the vertical plane of the rod 5, and upon thetwo rods the straightening device is mounted. Snapslides 15 16 aremounted on the rods 5 6. To them arms 17 18 are rigidly secured so as tolie in the plane of the rods 3 4 5. Thus the arms serve to support therear end of the cigar-box. Through the rear ends of the arms 17 18 a rod19 extends. Inside of the arms the rod is provided with collars 2O 21and outside of the arms it is screw-threaded and provided with wingednuts 22 23. This arrangement permits the rod 19 to be turned in the arms17 18 and to be fixed in any position. Bent arms 24 25 are rigidlysecured to the rod 19 and extend forwardly over the box 14. The arms arepreferably bent at substantially a right angle. At their extreme forwardends and between that point and their angles the rods are provided witheyes, through which rods 26 27 extend. The ends of the rods arescrew-threaded and provided with Winged nuts 28 29 30 31. Collars 32 3334 35 are fixed on the rods inside of the arms 24 25. These rods areprovided to support brushes 36 37, each of which has two slottedhandles38 39, through the slots of which the rods 26 27 extend. The brushes maythus be raised and lowered and clamped in position by the winged nuts.The brushes are made of comparatively long flexible bristles and arenearly as long as the box is wide. The

brushes are adjusted so that their lower ends are a little nearer thebottom of the box or the next lower layer of cigars than the di ameterof a cigar. Thus as a cigar rolls under the brush it is retarded. If oneend is in advance of the other, that end will come in contact with thebrush first and will be retarded, while the opposite end continues tomove freely. The cigar will thus be turned, and when it asses frombeneath the brush it will lie paral el to the brush which is parallel tothe delivery-slot. The brushes also serve as baffles to prevent thecigars rolling down too rapidly. Thus any tendency to choke up the spacein front of the box is overcome. The brushes may be adjustedsimultaneously by turning the arms with the rod and clamping them in thedesired position by means of the nuts 22 23. This is a convenient modeof adjustment when it is desirable to change the adjustment of brusheson account of the varying number of cigars in a box.

Obviously my device is capable of modification within the scope of myinvention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the specificconstruction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vending-machine, delivery mechanism comprising a frame adaptedto receive the box containing the articles to be delivered, arms mountedon said frame and supporting one end of the box, and means mounted onsaid arms to arrange the articles in proper position to be delivered.

2. In a vending-machine, delivery mechanism comprising a frame adaptedto receive the boxcontaining the articles to be delivered, arms mountedon said frame and supporting one-end of the box, and means adjustablymounted on said arms and in the path of the articles to be delivered toarrange the articles in proper position to be delivered.

3. In a vending-machine, delivery mechanism comprising a frame adaptedto receive the box containing the articles to be delivered and flexiblebaffles adjustably mounted on said frame and in the path of thearticles.

4. In. a vending-machine, delivery mechanism comprising a frame,adjustable arms mounted on said frame, and a brush depending from saidarms into the path of the articles to be delivered.

5. In a vending-machine, delivery mech anism comprising a frame,adjustable arms mounted on said frame, and an adjustable brush on saidarms projecting into the path of the articles to be delivered.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses, at St. Louis, Missouri, this 16thday of July, 1904.

LEE 0. SPOONER. Witnesses:

FRED F. REISNER,

JULIA B. MEeowN.

